There wasn't a dry eye in the room as single mum Rebekah Ryan auditioned for the X Factor on Sunday night, and told a heartbreaking story that echoed in her performance.

The 40-year-old, from Tamworth , left Sharon Osbourne in tears as she belted out Angel by Sarah McLachlan, having explained to the judges that she tragically lost her son when he was just three years old.

Rebekah, who lives with her parents, had previously been signed to a record label and even had a single that charted in the top 30, but after failing to make her success last, she decided to give the X Factor a go 23 years after she first became a star.

It's been 14 years since her little boy Ethan died. He was born with a rare brain disease after she and her record producer husband Johnny Douglas both had genetic faults which were passed on to Ethan.

He was born with Sandhoff Syndrome and was unable to speak, walk or see. Ethan was expected to die at age two but he fought on until he was three and a half and died in July 2002.

At his funeral, a teddy bear sat on top of a small white coffin and the family released 100 balloons with his name on into the air as a tribute.

The memories of Ethan's death were brought rushing back to Rebekah when she told the judges that she's a single mum to seven-year-old Seb, and that she had another son who died.

Rebekah Ryan's son Ethan Douglas died when he was just three (Image: Birmingham Mail)

Rebekah and her family launched balloons at the funeral of her son Ethan (Image: Birmingham Mail)

She sang Hozier's Take Me To Church, but was stopped by Simon Cowell who said that it felt too rushed. Nicole Scherzinger added that the performance felt desperate.

With her second song, Angel, she wowed the judges and moved Sharon to tears.

Simon then said: "I felt every word of that. You’re a fighter. What you told me was very emotional. Every step of the way we were with you."

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Speaking earlier on the X Factor she said: "I was signed to MCA at 17, a huge thing to happen for me. When you’re dropped it stripped away every bit of confidence I had.

"At a young age I felt like such a failure. You have to rebuild yourself. Life as a single mum is quite hard. The past year has been tough. This could be a new beginning, to prove to my son that mummy’s got it.